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A Massachusetts man accused of holding a woman captive and sexually abusing her for about six weeks was arrested last week after a property owner found the woman in a home and alerted police, authorities said.
Jordende Pierre, 29, was arrested on Sept. 24 in Malden, Massachusetts, on charges of trafficking a person for sexual servitude, kidnapping and indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older, according to the U.S. Marshals Service and the Malden Police Department.
Malden is a northern suburb of Boston.
Authorities said the investigation began on Sept. 20 after Malden police responded to a residence following a call from a landlord. The investigation led to the discovery of a woman who allegedly had been held against her will and sexually abused for about six weeks, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
The Malden District Court issued an arrest warrant for Pierre on Sept. 23, authorities said. He was taken into custody the next day by members of the U.S. Marshals Service, Massachusetts State Police, the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and the Malden Police Department.
"The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing. No person should ever be subjected to the violence, exploitation, and loss of freedom alleged here," Dennis Matulewicz, head of the U.S. Marshals Service for the District of Massachusetts, said in a statement announcing the arrest.
Malden police said no additional details about the investigation would be released "in order to protect the victim." There was no ongoing threat to public safety, according to police.
Report: Woman was allegedly held in an unfinished attic
Prosecutors alleged in court that the woman was held in the unfinished attic of a multifamily home on Summer Street in Malden, NBC Boston reported. The woman, who was not identified, was discovered by the property's owner, who contacted authorities.
Prosecutors said the woman was found naked and malnourished on a mat, according to the television station. Authorities also found a five-gallon bucket containing urine nearby.
"She clearly had not eaten. She was dirty. She was living, essentially, in squalor in this attic area," Middlesex County Assistant District Attorney Jacob McCrindle said in court, according to NBC Boston.
Prosecutors alleged that Pierre met the woman through a dating app and brought her to the Malden home about six weeks before she was discovered, the television station reported. They further alleged that he sexually assaulted her and forced her to engage in sexual encounters with other men who came to the property.
Prosecutors also alleged that Pierre prevented the woman from leaving by removing the attic door's handle, according to NBC Boston.
"The door handle in this attic area, it could be removed, and the defendant would remove that door handle so that she could not leave," McCrindle said, NBC Boston reported.
Massachusetts man accused of holding woman captive pleads not guilty
The property's owner told NBC Boston that Pierre was not one of her tenants and that she was unaware anyone was living in the attic. She said she and her husband went to the property on Sept. 20 to assess a water leak.
He pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, human trafficking, and indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 in court on Sept. 25, local television station WFXT reported. Court documents in the case were ordered impounded on Sept. 25, the television station confirmed.
Pierre is being held pending his next court hearing, which is scheduled for Oct. 6, according to NBC Boston.
USA TODAY reached out to the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office for comment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Massachusetts man accused of holding woman captive for 6 weeks
